Liquid dispensing solenoid valve



| April 1953 s. HOUGHTON 2,634,757

LIQUID DISPENSING SOLENOID VALVE Filed NOW. 29, I948 W 3 7/ 1% a5 @Vl equuf fiTTaRNErG.

Patented Apr. 14, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT 'OFFICE ApplicationNovember 29, 1948, SerialNo; 62,500,. I

The present invention :relates to abiliduid dis n ns e oi v -3;...

It is an object of the invention to provide a valve 'of the foregoing kind in which .the electromagnetic parts are so distinct from the fluid valve parts that the valve parts may be removed for cleaning without disturbing the electrical connections. An especial object of the invention is to provide a valve of this kind that can be assembled and disassembled without the use of a wrench or any such tool.

In view of the fact that this valve is likely to be used with food products, it is an especial object of the invention toprovide a construction than can be completely cleaned.

Specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a valve of this kind that can be readily cleaned with an ordinary brush orv spray, or the like. Also, to this end, it is an object of the invention to provide a valve that is free of recesses or pockets that cannot be easily reached for cleaning and sterilizing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a valve so constructed that all of the valve parts coming in contact with the fluids can be made of stainless steel, except for one element of the device that is made of silver. Another object is to provide a construction wherein the gaskets and similar parts will not impartany taste or odor to fluids flowing through the valve.

Another object of the invention is to provide a valve of this type that meters the amount of fluid passing through the valve; and further is to provide a valve of this kind wherein the amount of fluid-maybe adjusted. fSpecifically, itis an object to provide a metering range that is graduated. and inwhich the chosen setting or metering position can be locked. An object of this arrangement is to permit the setting to be varied for different fluids or fluids of different viscosities or quantities, or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide an outlet tube from the valve that can be rotated to any position without changing the mounting position or location of the outlet.

Other objects will appear from the description to follow.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the valve construction;

. Fig.2. is a vertical, medial section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an exploded sectional view of the valve.

In general, the valve includes an inlet. II! at the top of the structure and an outlet at '2 Claims. (01.13.74.712)

the bottom of the structure. Between the inlet and the outlet, there are located the "solenoid partsthe valve parts, including a fluid casing, .a valve plunger, a valve'seat body,.and the meterg par-ts. a H I At the. lower part of the'v'alveassembly, there is a valve seat and metering block or member I3. This member has a passage l4 that extends vertically through it, and which is intersected by a transverse opening I5. The top of the passage I4 terminates in a valve seat I6. The bottom of the passage I4 opens through the bottom of the block I3. The lower part of the body member I3 is somewhat reduced in size to provide a cylindrical portion I? from which two bayonet joint pins. I8 project. The bottom of this cylindrical portion ll is further reduced so as to receive a packing ring I9.

The outlet 1 l includes the passage it, pref er'ablysupplemented by a bent spout tube 20', as indicated.- The upper end of this tube 20 is flared out,-as at 2i, and is provided with bayonet joint slots 22. .By this arrangement, the spout 29 may have its upper cylindrical portion slipped over the cylindrical portion I! on the valve body i3, with the slots 22 looked over the pins I8 and with the packing washer I9 interposed between to give a tight fit. Also, the spout 20 may be easily turned to the opposite direction by reversing the respective positions of the slots 2'2 with respect to the two pins I8.

As noted, the passage H5 is part of the outlet passage from thevalve seat It. The'intersecting transverse opening [5 receives a metering ,device that regulates the flow through the'passagelll. Therei'slametering. screw or pin '25 that is inserted through the opening 'I'5'; At on'eend, this metering pin' has 'a'knurled head 26 on it, on

the innerv face of which there is' a shortpin 21 that locks the metering screw in adjusted position. The metering screw has a metering notch 28 midway of its length that is adapted to register with the passage I4 when the metering screw is fully inserted into the opening I' 5. The metering pin passes through the opening I5 and has a threaded end 30 projecting'beyond the body member I3. On the opposite ends of the transverse opening I5, the body member is undercut to receive removable packing rings 3|; and another knurled nut 32 is adapted to thread onto the threaded projection of the metering screw 30. The housing has a plurality of radial indentations 33 adjacent one end of the opening 15, that are engageable with the pin 21 on the head 26 of the metering pin 25, for the purpose of holding the pin and thereby holding the metering screw against accidental movement, and also of indicating the position of the valve. As shown in Fig. 1, the head 26 has an index 34 on it to register with the indentations 33 that thereby form graduations, or which may be independently marked as desired.

:It willbe seen vthat, when the metering .screw is disposedgjin position: and the 'qlockin g nut i32 is not tight, but is loose enough to permit some axial displacement of the metering screw, the screw may be turned to dispose the pin 21in some suitable indentation 33.;ullhereaiter, ;tthe nut 32 may be tightened upvvhich will. firmly secure the metering screw in; its'a'djusted;11(1sition. This action also tightens thepacking -rings3-i to provide a fluid tight seal.

The valve body I3 is reducewatiitsmppe'mnd to provide a shoulder 38. This shoulderrreceives a washer 39, and above the washer it-receives a tubular sleeve-like member 40, that is flanged fi ti tsil we tenidtsosa berensa edrt misfi -the M y ndthe;shoulderbhsuch? is lmiiifsf'atedfmji lgs'fl-r.;: mni nrnut 43 pted slip down ever-the tubular elementflil, v ae i s the flange eonand to aeethre fl j k l -9n 'the vaive body 1330 as to attach the :tubularmember- Mitothe valve body=l 3 i jfPrior," tflfthe, assembly ofjthe *tubiilargmember "il'rthemannerjjustiindicated, thefinlet Wfhaving 21711.6 's'hape shownf-is insertedfinto'fthe tubular member f til." This inlet-"memberrhas 'a pa ssage 5 E m us'h it 'With,1the nuterfpartrotrthe u end preferably shaped as'shown "scrastomeceive ;a; .'--hose connection ,or thedike. The mid portion qf the inlet [,0 is rthreadetifas atffl. *-"-Below the *threadsfthereis; iaj:flar ige"48 "'Belowthe'fflange 18; the inlet"Ulfflaresputwardly somewhatand h l s nt e. ..quar -?bat 9m suri ce that has alc L, p lerrsro v a: 149 i @i 1-iliif groo s ffil .J ith silve sqa st fior rzesfihadi mrinsffmzp snese jt lag e r- V V 7 A hQWIlWiI I-Ei CZJ IQQBI QE1101 u tdlvin 'hr itubula trmember A up part,.of;.the tubu ar;inembe fl qfis;somvvh sw zduceiii nrs euse asjteifi t htl "with itheimet in mherrandthe IQRQ'Fl Q'QiIheF lI HQmem 110 ,fis inturned to; provide :agfiange :that "will cooperate withthe flanee z njh in memb A159 within:thetubr anmemb fibutrbero inlet, there is a .co gmagnetip plunger enndvalv smemb ri 2:, hat as ar va1 eee '3 sc 1:53 in gitslwttom gi i hfin QQHEIEFQTW Rih valve seatgliin tIieL dv'rmemberj -132 mehergonnlunge litlla flui i ren l sect nnsii su table-Tie .t allpll lfi diisr QIHQYZ11@!LLGQ A, provid .er hoHlderJhn-an i g nrins 54.. th tzi fnose' b t rnitheibq ioi he' inlettfi tm iman iit e she l'c e r o' t ithg uns 52 dow ,wardly'to close the valve. 1 'Also, the upperyend of the valve-plunger?) 2 has 'aznotch ii 5 1: ut in "it et .ia ilita e t fl n fl id-t r u h *the res- 1 sage t6 of. the 'inlet'to thepassages beside the plungen and 'f'tO insure "that' there-wi'll {be "flow 1 ,wnenr hle valve *is,-upwa l 'anfime ap neasement with.;tne bottom,'oit n V There ;is arsolenoi'cll assembl g nerall seated at sol ZITh'iSIinfiludfiiagqi j 'llh, is Wound "around a vsl v .Ther sis. ailow rxrd sc 1"6 shat amateurs-upward y extendin fla T6 I against which the sleevecfizmay lie-leasin 65 nclosesth c i -fi nd i cnnvshanefls sasflt v les I", FAA-firm r snasgsenured teitlaefianse liliitha lr psdawnean 4 the inside of the sleeve 62. There is an opening 61 in the top of the casing 65 so that this coil assembly may be inserted over the inlet I0. An attaching bracket 10 may be provided on the eas- 5 ing 65 for the obvious purposes.

The assembly 60 is inserted over the tubular ..,member 40,,anda nut ll nthatisengageable with the threadsi il on the iirrlet :metrrlben HI, is employed to secure the parts together. "There are 10; leads 13 and 14 that are adapted to be connected to a suitable power source for energizing the coil 3116l.1;"Most -;desirably, these leads lead out of a a threaded fitting l5.

filntherusefo'f'this'valve, the fitting I0 is consl5 ,neGtedLtoniflexible tube in the ordinary construction of such a food dispensing device as a -"G(1TBB fiiSpBIISBILYWhEn the coil 6| is deenerizedmthe plunger 52 is in its lower position so thatthe valve disc 53sengages the valve seat [6 .20 0.11 the housing 13 to disestablish communication Trom -theihletof thewassage 5M in 'tiie valvd body. When it is desired to dispensefrom thevalvefilie coil-Bids'energizediso thatiit fdraws the-pore 52 flppwardly against-Ethespring 5flrand usuallyinto yengagementwiththe bottom 'ofthe inlet-fitting 310. The liquid then *flows frem -the inlet *through the notch-55' and dovm the outer surface "of" the-"block -52 -past the valve seat =1 nd= 'irito -;*the"passage 1'4; The metering screw is 'adjusted *to-some position other 'than that shown in Fi'gS Z so that a certain amount of this' liqiiid='can pass fthrough the -=metering '-not"ch 28 and ultimately into' the- =outlet '-I l AfteY-"a suitable' amcunt of liquid has been *dispensed,- the coil is again' iieenergized so that 'thespring Ell-panses the plunger T12 to descend-and :closef'the valve. "-"In' the' opera- -'tion' vof the 'solenoidpoil, the shadingtring-fifi acts inthe'usuaI'manner. V v Whenthevalve ,isassenibled; tire'tubularnrember AIL proyides ;the valve 'chamberrthat is closed at the topby the 'iri1et..f1ttins,:and closed;at"the ,hottom ,bylthesvalvesbodymember 1'3. "The. inlet ;ljis,is,;through ;the inlet fitting IJJLJtdIthe ,y'alve sfihamherrwithinlthetube li andltoithe valve seat cl-6. 1 ".Theboutlet,inclualesJsheqpassage .lll. that. soonstains tha meteringrdevice, alsoflthe sspout-l 2.0,; ;that normally ,is-.used withatl" valve. iBhis valve ilendsritself to yer-y easy and complete cleaning. Thesvalveparts are-completely ssenarable :from gthe I Ecoil i-assembly. When the .mnionlnutrfijiszsunserewed irom'lthe waive rbod '22! irrtherzvaive bfldyxmayt. beuwithdrawnrandzthe :WEIEEi'QIlInEBIIsEZx andrspringzfiil will egos-within memiits :cleaning nfif :athe sapling "rand thei'plungerz 5'2 nompiete meanin the ss'leevei lmmasmellJasiIthejnletifitting t0. "q hei 'sleevegllfl =2and inletffitting that remain attached to ihe sol'enoidxasseriib-ly can be c'leaned W icy-ea hrushyer-y -=read-i-ly. V

In any assembly o'f"the-valve, "the nozile-may be pointed in any' direction by loosening the union nut t3-and twisting the valve' body- I 3. I In order 'to clean the valve "body; the nut 32 maybe removed'fromthe-metering-screw and that screw "withdrawn so that "it-'and the opening l5 may be completely cleaned. When thegoinfifi is removed, ,the outlet passage-ltmay'be cleaned. It is preferable to clean this somewhat tapering gorp s a erfrom below. and .to.do this .the nozzle or outlet "ll may begremovedfby its ibayonet connection. h p

Additionally, the inlet 'fittingv may be removed after the.. uni on .nut, 43 is detached by loosening ;-;g5., the nut (.71. ;so"'tha't ftheginlet fitting '10 may game be dropped downwardly through the solenoid:

assembly.

It will'be obvious that the reassembly of theparts is very simple. This assembly factor also aids in the manufacture of the valve. U

The fluid containing parts of the valve are well sealed off. The lower portion of the inlet fittingv I is the only portion thereof, except for the passage 46, that is subjected to the fluid.

The tubular element 40 limits the passage of the fluid to the somewhat enlarged portion ofthe tubular member 40 down to the valve seat.

The shading ring 49 acts in the obvious manner, but, as it is made of silver, it can be easily cleaned, and maintained sanitary. All of the parts of the valve thatar e exposed to the food preferably are made of stainless steel, so that they can be kept entirely sanitary.

The threaded parts are shown as having acmethreads. This aids in permitting the valve to be readily assembled and disassembled, and it nection with other uses, it has distinct ad-- vantages of simplicity of construction, assembly and disassembly.

What is claimed is:

1. In a valve construction, a coil assembly having a central opening, a casing removably mounted in the opening in the coil assembly and having a valve chamber therein, the chamber being open at one end, and its wall extending from the open end smoothly without pockets so that the valve chamber may be cleaned with a brush or the like inserted into the open end,

a fluid flow passage leading into the chamber, Q

means removably engaged with the open end of the casing, and closing the same, said removable means having a second fluid passage therethrough leading to said chamber and a valve seat at the inner end of said second passage, said second passage being sufficiently straight and devoid of shoulders so that it may be easily cleaned by a brush or the like, and a valve in the valve chamber cooperable with the valve seat.

2. In a valve construction, a coil assembly having a central opening, a casing removably mounted in said opening and having a valve chamber therein, the chamber being open at one end, and its walls extending from the open end smoothly without pockets so that the valve chamber may be cleaned with a brush or the like inserted into the open end, an inlet member removably fastened to the casing and containing a first fluid flow passage having a smooth inner wall devoid of shoulders and pockets leading into the chamber, means removably fastening together the coil assembly, the casing, and the inlet member, means removably engaged with the open end of the casing, and closing the same, said removable means having a second fluid passage therethrough leading to said chamber and a valve seat at the inner end of said second passage, said second passage being sufiiciently straight so that it may be cleaned by a brush or the like, and a valve in the valve chamber coop erable with the valve seat, the first fluid passage extending from the valve chamber opposite the open end thereof to enable it to be cleaned by atbrush or the like inserted, through theg openi end of the valve chamber.

, 3. A valve construction comprising a tubular casing having a shoulder at one end and a flange at the other end, a fluid passage fitting having an axial passage therethrough, and an enlarged end, insertable through the flangedend of the casing to project from the opposite end, with its enlarged end'stopped against the shoulder of the casing, a support through whichthe projecting fitting extends, an element re-i movably engageable with the fitting beyond the support to hold the fitting against the casing shoulder, and to hold the casing to the support; a valve seat body engageable, with the "flanged:

end of the casing, and having a valve seat'po sitioned in the casing, removable means tof-hold' the valve seat body on the casing, the valve seat body having a fluid passage -through the valve seat, and a valve in the casing cooperable with the valve seat. s 1 ,o 4. A valve constructioncomprising a tubular casing having a shoulder at one end and-ajfiangte at the other end, a fluid passage fitting having an axial passage therethrough, and an enlarged end, insertablethrough the, flanged endof the casing to project from the opposite end, with its enlarged end stopped against the shoulder of the casing, a support through which the projecting fitting extends, an element removably engageable with the fitting beyond the support to hold the fitting against the casing shoulder,

and to hold the casing to the support, a valve 7 seat body engageable with the flanged end of the casing, and having a valve seat positioned in the casing, removable means to hold the valve seat body on the casing, the valve seat body having a fluid passage through the valve seat, and a valve in the casing cooperable with the valve seat, the removable means for holding the valve seat body comprising a union nut engageable over the flange of the casing, and threadably interengageable with the valve body.

5. A valve construction comprising a tubular casing having a shoulder at one end and a flange at the other end, a fluid passage fitting having an axial passage therethrough, and an enlarged end, insertable through the flanged end of the casin to project from the opposite end, with its enlarged end stopped against the shoulder of the casing, a support through which the projecting fitting extends, an element removably engageable with the fitting beyond the support to hold the fitting against the casing shoulder, and to hold the casing to the support, a valve seat body engageable with the flanged end of the casing, and having a valve seat positioned in the casing, removable means to hold the valve seat body on the casing, the valve seat body having a fluid passage through the valve seat, and a valve in the casing cooperable with the valve seat, the removable means for holding the valve seat body comprising a union nut engageable over the flange of the casing, and threadably interengageable with the valve seat body, the passage in the valve seat body bein substantially rectilinear, and an adjustable metering device removably mounted in the body and intersecting said second fluid passage to regulate the size of the passage.

6. A valve construction comprising a tubular casing having a shoulder at one end and a flange at the other end, a fluid passage fitting having an axial passage therethrough, and an enlarged end, insertable through the flanged end of the 7 aims pmie t pmt he oppo i te tene with. its enlarged end stop gegi ag a in st the,shoiilde; iher wi g! afill q t fih ml h W hepmjectipg fittinge te ids -Qan element removably,

anir q ldze s nete pp rt, a im seatv'boQ-y,engageab1e,.withthe flanged end of the, casing and. having, a valve s eat,.. positiqned in.

the easi g yemevahlameans; to hold. the, valve seat Qdx-bn, he a it a-t e valve seatbodyv ave nea v -i 'hef-i as n -Q-O0Pfi 'a l h h v seat, the remo vabl e means' fqr ,holdin th valve seat bQdy ,comprising a union nut engageable;

oyer the'fiangegof th casin and threadably ntelz nga fiab e wi h-i i: v54

tial ly- -reeti linear, agd an. adjustable metering deyice -removabl mountedlinthe bbdyto reg-f ulate the size of the passage,,.the metering deviceeqmprisingvan openi g ,in the body' intere hetpassage h nethr u hua me er n p nsertable int m the opening, Lthe metering Pm; avi a shapeh re it n firsec sl he H sage, thatn Qbstmicts, the kpassage v- .i1 1 amounts varying with: -thetrota ted -pQSit' Qn :Oilthe, pil in itshopening; means, to hnldvtheepin tagai ngt. ro.--

. tative ztmovement said ,means .be'i ngt. releasable by 1.axialv tdisplacement ofgthe pin;.vam i e means h l e he? na ainst ax l sp a emen .7'. I n -.-a valve construction, a bodywmembex having a K substantially -straight openin there,- through terminating ,atn efirsteelid'tima, valve seat,- a shoulder onthe bodym embex around the rpassage throiigh. .the.;v a1v.e. seat, and, a,

ea bodygl he pasmseem thewW at d ein subsal ease ra u ulan in atin afiangg at one end, to be 'seated on the Shoulder, a; umqr l nut engageable overtthe easing: from itsgqther' let spout rempvahly. -secareq 1V to. the Ibqtteiri: T0 1 the body membenthe inletzfitting .having an imlet passage coaxial. withLthe tubular casing. and the pas sagethroughthe bodymember.

s, HOUGHTQN.

7' References-Cited, infthe fileofj thisgpatept UNHEDFSTATESIZPATENTSJ Number- Name 'Date I 1,165,940 Busch Dec. 23519-15 FOREIGN PA TE NFIS Number- Country- Bate "216,810 .Switzerland r 0111942 566 5211 Great Britain. oful944 

